Servants born in any house - Besides those hired from without, he had married couples in the precincts of his grounds, palaces, &c., who, when their children grew up, got them employment with themselves.

Great and small cattle - Oxen, neat, horses, asses, mules, camels, and such like; with sheep and goats. And multitudes of most of these he needed, when we are told that his household consumed daily ten stall-fed oxen, with twenty from the pasture, with a hundred sheep; besides harts, roebucks, fallow deer, fatted fowls, and other kinds of provision, Probably, such another court for splendour and expense was not in the universe.

John Gill's Bible Commentary

Villalpandus computes the number of his servants to be forty eight thousand; if there were any pleasure and happiness in such a numerous attendance, Solomon had it; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me ; oxen, cows, horses, asses, camels, mules, etc. also sheep and goats; which, as they were profitable, so it was pleasant to see them grazing on the hills and valleys, in the fields, mountains, and meadows.

Matthew Henry Commentary

Eccl. 2:1-11 Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifol devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from the world, and their changing from one thing to another, are like the restlessness of a ma in a fever. Perceiving it was folly to give himself to wine, he nex tried the costly amusements of princes. The poor, when they read such description, are ready to feel discontent. But the remedy against all such feelings is in the estimate of it all by the owner himself. All was vanity and vexation of spirit: and the same things would yield the same result to us, as to Solomon. Having food and raiment, let u therewith be content. His wisdom remained with him; a stron understanding, with great human knowledge. But every earthly pleasure when unconnected with better blessings, leaves the mind as eager an unsatisfied as before. Happiness arises not from the situation in whic we are placed. It is only through Jesus Christ that final blessednes can be attained.

Eccl. 2:12-17 Solomon found that knowledge and prudence were preferabl to ignorance and folly, though human wisdom and knowledge will not make a man happy. The most learned of men, who dies a stranger to Chris Jesus, will perish equally with the most ignorant; and what good can commendations on earth do to the body in the grave, or the soul i hell? And the spirits of just men made perfect cannot want them. S that if this were all, we might be led to hate our life, as it is all vanity and vexation of spirit.

Eccl. 2:18-26 Our hearts are very loth to quit their expectations of great things from the creature; but Solomon came to this at length. The world is a vale of tears, even to those that have much of it. See what fools they are, who make themselves drudges to the world, which afford a man nothing better than subsistence for the body. And the utmost he can attain in this respect is to allow himself a sober, cheerful us thereof, according to his rank and condition. But we must enjoy good in our labour; we must use those things to make us diligent and cheerfu in worldly business. And this is the gift of God. Riches are a blessin or a curse to a man, according as he has, or has not, a heart to make good use of them. To those that are accepted of the Lord, he gives jo and satisfaction in the knowledge and love of him. But to the sinner he allots labour, sorrow, vanity, and vexation, in seeking a worldl portion, which yet afterwards comes into better hands. Let the sinne seriously consider his latter end. To seek a lasting portion in the love of Christ and the blessings it bestows, is the only way to tru and satisfying enjoyment even of this present world __________________________________________________________________

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